The characterization of Bacillus subtilis spore coat components and acid-soluble spore polypeptides (ASP's) will be continued. Antisera specific for these components will be used to detect the synthesis and maturation of precursors during sporulation and to determine their distribution between sporangial and forespore compartments. The antisera will also be used in collaborative investigation of in vitro messenger discrimination by ribosomes of sporulating cells and in assays for synthesis of these sporulation-specific gene product in conditionally asporogenous mutants with lesions in 50S ribosomal protein genes. The antisera will be used in a separate collaborative project aimed at cloning the genes for spore coat and ASP components. Mutants defective in these components will be sought by direct selection and screening and also by transformation with in vitro mutagenized DNA, if appropriate clones are obtained.